The present invention is generally directed to devices for spreading various materials, and more particularly to a bedding material spreader device which may be used to spread sawdust or the like material in a freestall for cows.
In a dairy farm, it is common to spread sawdust or the like material into the stalls to keep them clean and bedded. This is commonly done by using a tractor with a front loader to scoop the sawdust and spread it into the stalls by using a grain shovel or the like. This practice is labor intensive, time consuming and creates a lot of dust as the shoveling is done from the loader to the area of the stalls where the sawdust is poured and spread. While this practice may be economical for a very small farm, it is not practical for a dairy farm with multiple cows.
Various types of devices are currently available for spreading the sawdust or the like material. One such device includes a side-shooter which uses a rotating belt inside a bucket holding the material, and shoots-out the material from an opening on one side of the bucket. The side-shooter, however, has several disadvantages. First, as the belt rotates, it creates a lot of dust in the vicinity thereby making it difficult to perform the spreading operation. Second, the side-shooter shoots-out the material only from one side of the bucket thereby making it difficult to spread the stalls on both sides without turning the tractor around. Third, with the side-shooter it is difficult to put a thin and even layer of the material in the stalls.
Another conventional spreader includes an auger, instead of a belt mechanism, to shoot the material from a bucket or hopper. This type of spreader also has several disadvantages. First, the material can only be fed-out from one side of the bucket. Second, the motor for spinning the auger protrudes past one side of the bucket on one side, and the spinning mechanism to feed-out the material on the other side of the bucket. This configuration of the spreader makes it very difficult to maneuver the spreader around the stalls without catching or running into posts, freestalls, etc. Moreover, since the material can only be fed-out from one side of the bucket, it is impossible to get the material in all the corners.
Various other types of devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,755,092; 3,019,025; 3,167,319; 4,261,520; and 4,720,047. There is, however, a need in the industry for a material spreading device that does not suffer from the disadvantages associated with the conventional devices and which can be easily used to spread the material from either side of a hopper.